I've been involved with rookie clowning and mime for the past 15 years. Always at charity events, friends parties and recently a wedding- (the bride wanted a clown to enteratin the kids at the reception :D )

Recently a friend approached me about starting a birthday party business. I'm excited, but also a little nervous that we are actually going to ask for payment from people. I've always clowned for free.

So what are some serious mistakes to avoid? Should I attend as many professional clown workshops as I can or just continue to read and practice? ANy clown prayers would be appreciated. Thanks!

Hey there. Yes, go to workshops whenever possible. I've been to three of them and they are AWESOME! Also, I would talk to others here who have done a lot of parties. Mostly, have faith in your skills and abilities. Your friend wouldn't have asked unless they thought you were good enough to pay for parties. I clown a lot for free and am breaking into the professional end. People appreciate your gifts and are happy to pay for a clown to entertain, so don't feel you are doing somethig weird or that you are not good enough. You'll see when you have your first party that it just isn't true.
Jubilee

Thanks Jubilee!

I grew up in Northern Virginia- Springfield to be exact-Now I am here in the Hurricane state of Florida.

so good to have you join us. i am new to this club also its good to see we have a place to go and get ideas and share our wisdom. of coarse i fight bulls as a rodeo clown so i dont know how much wisdom i actualy have.

Hiya Tiff! (Big Big Big Wave)

Workshops are great, I've been to several of them and I'm new to it myself.

Fear of the unknown can sometimes get a grip on us, but don't let that get ya down. Like Jubilee said, your friend must have confidence in your abilities for such an opportunity to come up. I would go to some of the workshops, and with 15 years experience that's sure to help you along.

Hi Tiff, welcome to the forum! Im a newbie also, and just want to wish you best of luck on your new endeavors!

Panetta :D

Tiff
Congratulations on deciding to be a professional clown! It's a great occupation bringing joy into the lives of other people.
Here's my advise on starting a clown business. There is a 3-Legged Stool to your business. The 3 legs are Performance, Planning and Promotion. Most clowns tend to be really great at focusing on the Performance part and you can learn alot about that at your local clown conventions and such.
The Planning part is the next thing you should be focused on. If you are planning on doing this as a successful business then be sure to check out www.ClownMarketingTips.com and receive your free report called "5 Bozo Marketing Mistakes...and How to Fix Them Fast!". These reports will tell you how step by step how to develop a plan for your business.

And they will help you with the Promotion part of your business.

YOu can't have a business without cash flow...you can't get cash flow without customers and you can't get customers without the ability to sell your services.

Hope this information is helpful!

Peewee

Welcome and yes to workshop if you can, they usually have a class on birthday parties. Write every thing down and alway confirm a day or two before, because they often change, you may be planning on 8-10 kids all the same age, and nows its a family thing with 30 people and children 2-15. Bump a Nose

Thanks so much for your tips!

There is an excellent book called Handbook for the magical party clown. It's been around forever and I believe it is still out there.
Sit down make a list of what services you want to offer. Next, see if anyone else in your area offers similar services. FInd out how they are doing. Are they busy all the time or are they scambling for work? Do they provide other this like bounce houses, do they have people with circus skills that they book. Are they a booking agency also.
A good rule in business is find a need and start filling it. But, if your competion can't get enough work, find out why. It could be the area that you live in, could be they charge more that the people in the area will pay and you find yourself in a small town driving to much larger one to get decent paying jobs and putting all your profits in the gas tank. You might not be able to charge as much in a smaller town, but your expenses my be so much smaller that it offsets things.
Also, no one starts out charging top price. If no one has heard of you then you need to do freebies, to get out there so people can see you. ALso, SOmetimes we all nned to work for free. It helps us keep our feet on the ground so we remember why we started doing this.
Because it's fun!

Iwould go to any worshop that you could go to you can lern a lot just by accident and dont be afraid to ask questions
Also check out COAI .COM and WCA to see if there is an ally near you
My ally just had a convention in Julyand it was just awesome You can check out pictures at
www.pvca225.org
we had Happy De Clown Bubba Sikes Mr Rainbow and others

I agree with what everybody says. There is another book called, "Creative Clowning" that is like the Bible for clowns! it has everything in it from balloons to make up to juggling to marketing! If you can get a copy, that would be great for you.
Jubilee

Yes, If you can buy only one book Creative clowning is the one to get.